In December 2017, the Australian Government’s My Life My Lead report pointed out that, “A lack of adequate and functional housing and overcrowding is a significant impediment to improving all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.”  A remote maintenance forum was held by Shelter WA with the Department of Communities to bring together regional service providers and other stakeholders to seek feedback regarding the current provision of remote housing maintenance and what future service delivery improvement opportunities exist.

It was identified that the current process is very costly, inefficient and lacks transparency and accountability. Net of the enormous costs to government of maintenance, the outcome for tenants is very poor.

Success in a new model would include improved timeliness of maintenance delivery, cost effective packaging of works, local employment opportunities and pathways, place-based inspections and reporting. There would be improved quality of engagement across the sector and with the community, improved coordination of service delivery in the regions, leveraging government procurement to improve outcomes for the community and purposeful collaboration.